SPRINGFIELD — City officials are urging drivers who use Plumtree Road to find alternative routes on Thursday, the first day of an estimated three-day project to remove pavement along a roughly 1.3-mile stretch of the road between Bradley and Wilbraham roads.

The so-called milling work, which entails removing the current road surface in preparation for repaving next month, is slated to begin at 7 a.m. and conclude around 5 p.m., according to Jim Leyden, spokesman for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

The milling phase is expected to last today through Monday. It will be followed by up to four weeks of utility and drainage work in preparation for the repaving of Plumtree in mid-October.

City officials are asking area residents to be patient during the roadwork, which may require temporary road closures and produce traffic delays.

Drainage issues also need to be addressed along the stretch of Plumtree passing through Veterans Golf Course, with possible road closures over the next few weeks, according to Leyden. City officials will notify residents of potential closure dates once they get a clearer timetable for that phase of the project, he said.

Plumtree Road is a main route linking the city's Sixteen Acres and East Forest Park neighborhoods. The work is not expected to affect the stretch of Plumtree between Bradley Road and Allen Street, the lower end of which recently underwent reconstruction.